Zoe Saldana

After spending most of her youth training as a dancer, Zoe Saldana made the transition to acting on screen after an attention-getting performance in the stage musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicol...
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It's official! Avatar will be getting not one, not two, but three sequels. On Thursday, James Cameron and 20th Century Fox revealed that they had upped the planned number of Avatar films and that the three new installments will be shot simultaneously next year. According to Deadline, the first sequel is set to be released in December 2016, followed by the second in December 2017, and the third in December 2018. So basically, you can start planning your future family holiday festivities accordingly. (But really, you should start pre-ordering your tickets. You know how those Christmas Day movie crowds can be.)
Ever since the science fiction blockbuster took the world by storm just four short years ago, we've all been eagerly awaiting this announcement. But now that we've gotten the official confirmation, we can't help but ask, is three sequels a little excessive? It might be a tad premature to invest so much time and money in three huge blockbuster sequels. What if the second Avatar movie is a disappointment? Or the third? Or the fourth? Why not space them out more like Terminator? What if people start to lose interest in the breathtaking landscape of Pandora. Nah, that won't happen.
Still, Peter Jackson got some flack when he announced plans for a third Hobbit movie, and yet James Cameron is allowed to do whatever he wants with the Avatar movies? Is that the way the movie world works?
Don't get us wrong — we saw Avatar in theaters. More than once. Hell, given its $2.8 billion gross, clearly some of us saw it upwards of 10 times. And it's true that sequels have the potential to outshine their predecessors, even beyond the second movie — Toy Story 3 and Iron Man 3 were possibly the best of their series. But how many X Movie 4 films do so well?
Then again, James Cameron has stated that he envisions the fourth Avatar film to be more of a prequel, so that could bring some freshness to the series...down the line in 2018. Actually, maybe it's a little premature for us to even be talking about a movie that doesn't come out until December 2018. Wow, we feel old now — and we don't even want to know how old we'll feel when that date arrives.
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At the very end of The Avengers, fans were rewarded (you know, as if a 120-minute laugh riot of classic superheroes embarking upon visually stimulating action-adventures wasn't gift enough) with a post-credits tease of the Marvelverse yet to come. Not the shawarma, although a full-length feature surrounding the Levantine food service industry would be worthy of exploration. No, we're talking about Thanos — the cackling creature from the Saturn moon of Titan. With just a quick glimpse at the character after the conclusion of The Avengers, fans felt they already had their foot in the door of the inevitable sequel: Thanos would, certainly, play the central villain... apparently, as we now learn, not in The Avengers 2, but in Guardians of the Galaxy.
As we heard at Comic-Con, the second avengers film will actually place its evil ploys in the hands of Ultron, a character who (despite his long history battling the Initiative) is strongly associated with the Ant-Man canon, considering being a robot created by Hank Pym (a.k.a. Ant-Man) himself. So was the Thanos scene for naught? Not a bit — director James Gunn reveals that Thanos will be getting a central billing role in his upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy movie, per /film.
"We have Thanos. Thanos is the thing connecting us to the rest of the Marvel Universe at this point," Gunn said at Comic-Con. Does this hint at a future of Guardians films that might involve some of Marvel's central heroes, or is it simply a "justification" for classifying the Gunn movie — which stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Benicio del Toro, Glenn Close, and John C. Reilly, thus far — in the same realm as the Avengers flicks? But with a surge of new titles in the works for the Marvel Studios future — Ant-Man, Black Panther, and Big Hero 6 films, along with the second and third installements of The Amazing Spider-Man franchise and a new Fantastic Four movie — how many villains will be shifted to forge universe "connections"?
Henry Pym is already giving The avengers his creation Ultron, so will Edgar Wright's Ant-Man flick feature a baddie most associated with another Marvel hero? Will this pattern continue until we come full circle and find Loki duking it out with Peter Parker in the eighth x-Men movie?
Marvel benefits from a universe so expansive and inclusive that almost any creative path is possible. Almost any two characters can meet, band together, or face off. We're looking forward to seeing which characters find themselves in cahoots or in the ring with which others, especially with such a fascinating grab bag from which to choose.
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Actor Chris Pratt is flaunting his muscular new body after cutting beer from his diet to shape up for forthcoming superhero movie Guardians Of The Galaxy. The Zero Dark Thirty star indulged in junk food last year (12) in a bid to pack on 60 pounds (27.2 kilograms) to play an overweight lawyer in new Vince Vaughn comedy Delivery Man, but he has spent the past six months trying to shed the excess fat and he's showing off the results of his strict diet and workout plan with a photo on Instagram.com.
Pratt, who is married to actress Anna Faris, snapped a picture of himself topless in the gym and shared the image of his six-pack abs with fans on Sunday (07Jul13).
In the accompanying caption, he writes, "Six months no beer. Kinda douchey to post this but my brother made me."
Pratt has been getting fit in preparation for his lead role in Marvel Comics' Guardians of the Galaxy, in which he will play Peter Quill/Star-Lord.
The movie, co-starring Zoe Saldana, Glenn Close and Benicio del Toro, is due to begin filming later this year (13).

At the head of just about every television buff's Top 10 list is the modern classic the Sopranos — a pioneer for dramatic television and a creative masterpiece in its own right. David Chase's imaginative, gripping series boasted ambitious direction, compelling writing, and some of the best acting the small screen has ever seen. Playing the program's lead character Tony Soprano, actor James Gandolfini was the show's emotional rock, providing periodic shocks, laughs, and tears for all engaged audiences. While all six season of The Sopranos were stocked with gold, we've pulled out some of Tony's most memorable, resonating moments. (Obviously, spoilers abound.)
TONY AND CARMELAThere was no short supply of Soprano family face-offs, with Carmela (Edie Falco) proving a worthy adversary for her gangster husband. Here's one head-to-head that stands out in particular, diving deep into the couple's rocky history, and the heartrending questions of "what might have been":
TONY AND DR. MELFIWhile Dr. Melfi's progress with her No. 1 patient can be considered debatable at best, we definitely caught glimpses throughout the series of Tony revealing the torment inside him. This especially biting scene has Tony resenting himself for passing on the misery that he carries with him to his equally narcissistic and depressive son, Anthony Jr.:
TONY'S DREAMSOne of the cornerstones of The Sopranos is its proclivity for trippy, existentialistic, highly symbolic dream sequences. One of the first entries in this long line of Freudian field days lands Tony on the docks, stewing in guilt over the murder of his best friend:
TONY AND HIS MOTHERAnd now, the true backbone of the show: Tony's relationship with his mother, who has played a spector villainous reigning supreme over her son's psyche since his childhood. As an ailing Livia is wheeled into a hospital emergency room, Tony channels all of the rage, resentment, and sorrow he has felt towards his mother, lashing out at her for what might well be his final chance, never truly earning the revenge he so desperately craves:
TONY aND PAULIEOne of the most fascinating characters in the Sopranos universe is, invariably, Paulie Walnuts. A manchild so deeply embedded in his own psychoses that he makes the sociopaths around him look like sane, upstanding citizens. In looking at Paulie, Tony has the opportunity to view his entire lifestyle (and himself) with nothing but contempt. As such, the harsh words Tony tosses at his friend and the consideration to take his life in the below clip could be seen as the big man's self-loathing running rampant:
TONY DOES PEYOTEFollowing the decision to take the life of his cousin and protegée Christopher, Tony deals with some serious emotional backlash. Gandolfini's performance as a peyote-addled Tony on a trip to the deserts of Las Vegas rings as some of the most haunting material in the show's run:
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When compared to last week's jaw-dropping, answer-filled Season 4 premiere, this week's episode of Pretty Little Liars was pretty tame. Then again "tame" in Rosewood means a surprise chokehold, nearly getting hit with a car, stolen kisses, family secrets, and a loud-mouth bird. Read on for all the pretty little spoilers from "Turn of the Shoe."
WARNING: The following recap contains each and every spoiler from this episode of Pretty Little Liars (because, duh, it's a recap). Friends share secrets, that’s what keeps us close.
Mona Gets (Wo)Manhandled: The girls are still skeptical of Mona, so to once again attempt to prove her loyalty, she takes the liars back to her trailer lair — but of course, it's long gone. Mona fails to convince the girls that she doesn't know what happened and storms back to her car and attempts to drive away in frustration. Unfortunately, she has a deadly passenger in her back seat, and someone in an Ali mask nearly strangles Mona to death. Mona manages to escape the clutches of "A," but then dives across the road to avoid being run over with her own car. Just another typical night in Rosewood…
Spencer and Toby's Internal Turmoil: Spencer discovers that she did not get into her family's alma mater, University of Pennsylvania, and she turns to one man to calm her nerves: Ezra. He advises Spencer on her college essays and sweetly mentions that maybe she should not include the fact that her friend was murdered, or that she has had a mental breakdown. (Side-note: Umm, shouldn't that have been obvious? You want to get into college, Spencer, not terrify some old administrator with the tales from your effed up town.)
Last week we watched as Toby handed over Mona's trailer to "A" in exchange for something connected to his mother, and we now know what that something is: Toby is rewarded with his mother's final mental health evaluation from her time at Radley before she committed suicide. He confides in Spencer and the two read over the notes together as we learn that Toby's mom was dramatically improving, and her outlook on life was becoming increasingly more positive. Toby refuses to believe that his mother actually killed herself and he is now convinced that some other factor — perhaps "A" — was involved.
Go For It, Aria, He's Cute: Aria is trying to live in a post-Ezria world. After watching Mona helplessly struggle against the attacks of "A," she's feeling a little unprepared. So our fashion-savvy liar signs up for private martial arts lessons, and her new instructor Jake is exactly what Aria needs right now to distract her lingering Ezra feelings. In a sweet twist, Aria surprises Jake with a short and surprising kiss before promptly running out of the room in embarrassment. Clearly, the kiss made an impression, and after asking Aria if she'd be weirded out by the whole "student/teacher thing" (Hah!), the new duo plan a coffee date. Looks like we've got a new romance blossoming, so I'd like to introduce: Jaria.
Hanna, Your Mom's a Horrible Liar: Ashley Marin claims that she has been in New York for the past five days, but it's clear that Hanna’s mom is hiding something more. First, we learn that on the night of Detective Wilden's death, his footprints are in the woods alongside some very high heels. And then we see that Ashley's swanky Manolos are covered in mud, and after getting defensive with her daughter ("They’re just shoes, Hanna!'), we find Mrs. Marin attempting to throw the heels away. But of course, "A" was watching the whole time. Hmm... I wonder if "A" is the person that Ashley was feverously texting?
Seriously, Emily, Stop Swimming: After diving directly onto a rock to escape "A's" deadly joyride, Emily's shoulder is battered, bruised and hurts like hell — just in time for her most important swim meet ever. With Paige not-so-subtly pressuring her to make that last spot on Stanford's swim team, Emily pops a few pain killers and lines up to try and beat Shana in the race. (Side-note: Doesn't Shana look like she's way too old to be competing in a high school swim meet? Stick to shuffle board, honey.)
The race begins, and of course Emily only makes it one length of the pool before smacking her head into the wall, cutting open her pretty little noggin, and knocking herself out. Despite her very polite pleas to finish the race, the paramedics whisk our little mermaid away, and she loses her shot at her Barbie and Teresa's dream house with Paige next year.
And Then There Was a Bird: Hanna stumbles upon Mrs. DiLaurentus trying to revamp her old house, and Ali's mom recalls a lunch date that she once had with her daughter. Alison threw a fit until her mom agreed that she could invite Hanna, Spencer and Aria over for a sleepover in their beach house in Cape May. Ali never invited the girls, and from the empty beer bottles everywhere, Jessica assumed that her daughter was now running around with an "older crowd" (Ahem, yep! She was sleeping with Detective Wilden!).
Hanna then decides to take home Tippy, a parrot that stayed with Alison at her grandparent's house the summer she as murdered. The bird utters many of Ali's classic lines ("Did you miss me?"), and one very important "song." Spencer realizes that this song is actually a phone number. But before they can record the bird's exact tune to dial the number, "A" snatches up our poor little Polly.
Biggest Jaw-Dropper: Seeing someone in an Ali mask reach forward and attempt to choke the life out of Mona in her own car.
Most Heart-Warming Moment: Ezra consoling Spencer after her U Penn rejection letter was pretty darn sweet.
Most Heart-Breaking Moment: Watching the tears in Toby's eyes as Spencer reads his mom's last psych evaluation before admitting that she committed suicide.
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Live together, die alone. And then after you die (onscreen, that is), separate off into completely separate career paths and try to outdo one another. Such is the post-finale motto of Lost, as we've seen quite a variety in the degrees of success to befall out favorite island stars.
On the one hand, we have the likes of Evangeline Lilly, whose toils as renegade Kate have been followed up by blockbuster promise (Peter Jackson's upcoming The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, most notably). On the other end of the spectrum, we find poor Terry O'Quinn (666 Park Ave never had a chance, did it?) and Jorge Garcia (enough guest starring!). And somewhere in the middle — or some parallel sideways reality — there's Matthew Fox, enjoying a turn in this week's release of World War Z, but still suffering from a pretty volatile reputation off screen.
So the question is, which Lostie won? We might not have the omnipotence of the almighty Jacob, but we think our rankings are pretty accurate...
Who Won Lost? Gallery
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We devoted Community purists were nothing short of thrilled to hear showrunner-turned-former-showrunner-turned-replacement-showrunner Dan Harmon chime in about the decrepit fourth season that was produced under the reign of interim showrunners David Guarascio and Moses Port. Harmon's feelings seemed to mirror ours: he hated it. Deemed it an abomination, likening it to the most deplorable scenarios of sexual assault that this tormented wordsmith could conjure up for his latest episode of Harmontown. And like all mornings to follow passionate diatribes, today is one basked in regret for Harmon. The writer took to his blog to express an apology for his coarse words on Monday, apologizing to any and all offended by his defamation of Community's fourth season, but more so for his inappropriate jabs.
"I am deeply sorry to anyone I hurt by using the word 'rape' in a comedic context. I am sorry to anyone I hurt by conjuring the concept of rape in a metaphor about my stupid hurt feelings ... I’m very sorry to have hurt and frustrated you and I will definitely be swayed from the use of that word in comedic contexts because I don’t like hurting people." Harmon also touched wistfully on some other instances of potential insensitivity in his Harmontown speech, including remarks that he now identifies might be interpreted as "language used to dehumanize the developmentally disabled," which he asserts was not his intention.
In the clear light of day, as it were, we see the error in Harmon's diction. But just as the speaker himself is capable of lapsed judgment, so are we — so ready to celebrate anything Harmon had to say against the "dark season," or on his optimistic return to the Community throne, we were eager to forgive and dismiss the sort of commentary we might have otherwise (or from another source) deemed offensive. As we're more ready to acknolwedge now, Harmon's words were indeed without tact, but so was our endorsement of them. But his apology seems sincere, his intentions not malicious, and the primary takeaway of the Harmontown episode trumping of the entire ordeal: he's back on Community, and things are going to be all right again.
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At last, he speaks.
Sure, Dan Harmon has chimed in here and there about the sacrilege that was Season 4 of Community, joking that he'd like to supply audio commentary for the DVD special features. But up until now, even following the announcement that the sitcom's creator had been brought back to run the show for its upcoming fifth year, we haven't heard much Harmon himself. It's not that he had nothing to say — far from it.
In fact, we think he's just been taking time to assemble his words delicately. To articulate with the utmost sophistication his feelings on the quality of the show under the reign of replacement show runners David Guarascio and Moses Port.
And thus, we have this poetry: "It's like flipping through Instagrams and watching your girlfriend just blow a million [other guys]." Oh Harmon. How we missed you.
Even under Harmon's reign, we're apprehensive about a fifth season of the show, but we take odd comfort in one simple fact: so is he. The ingenious writer expressed his qualms with Season 4, his worries about Season 5, and a few diatribes in gratitude of his father during the latest episode of his L.A.-based public podcast, Harmontown. Check it out below:
Harmon jumped right in with hooks embedded in the subject of Guarascio and Port's Community, stating, "I watched season four," before a long, louder-than-words pause. The writer would go on to admonish the antic as "obviously not somebody doing what they do and trying very hard to make people happy. It is very much like an impression, and an unflattering one," spawned admittedly from "the most admirable kind of impulse."
From Harmon's perspective, Guarascio and Port were just two guys who "went to Comic-Con, saw what was going on: people dressed as spacemen and bananas and shit; people going, 'Holy shit, I cut myself every night and watch Community,' ... [and] tried their best." But of course, what came was little more than a handful of hokey film and TV references.
One Season 4 episode to which Harmon took particular offense was the introduction of Jeff's father (played by James Brolin), a character who he always envisioned with the casting of Bill Murray in mind. Suggesting that it was not only the casting but the machinations of the storyline that perturbed him, Harmon likened the ordeal to "being held down and watching your family get raped on a beach." Again, poetry.
Of course, we hope for majesty from Season 5, even with our reservations. "I don't feel confident in my ability to slam dunk anything," Harmon said. "The basket is always going to be one inch higher than I can jump." Still, Harmon assured the masses that we will "feel my love and kisses, but it won't be in the form of a f**king Matrix spoof." Are we ready to believe that the dark cloud of Season 4 can be eradicated completely? Perhaps not. But listening to Harmon chatter on passionately for an hour gives us faith. Our Community is coming back.
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Co-starred in the Chris Rock produced black comedy "Death at a Funeral," a remake of the 2007 British film of the same name

Summary

After spending most of her youth training as a dancer, Zoe Saldana made the transition to acting on screen after an attention-getting performance in the stage musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. " Saldana began landing television and feature roles almost immediately, including "Center Stage" (2000), in which she was able to showcase her years of ballet training. Despite the fast start, her career had trouble lifting off after a series of disappointing film like "Get Over It" (2001) and "Crossroads" (2002), though she did make fleeting appearances in large studio fare like "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" (2003) and "The Terminal" (2004). Eventually, Saldana managed to break free from the confines of broad comedy and forgettable independents when she was cast to play both Lieutenant Uhura in the highly anticipated reboot of "Star Trek" (2009), and the Na'vi heroine, Neytiri, in James Cameron's box office behemoth, "Avatar" (2009); both of which bounced the actress from relative obscurity to undeniable movie star.